1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for a motor vehicle, in particular a method in which information is produced for the vehicle by an application that is being executed on a server. The present invention also relates to a device and a server that carry out the method.
2. Description of the Background Art
Modern vehicles, such as passenger cars or trucks, for example, offer a multitude of complex adjustment options and functions, which are sometimes dependent on the software loaded in the vehicle or the unlocking of the software. When a driver changes vehicles, he undertakes these configurations anew himself each time or must have the functions he has purchased unlocked by a workshop again. If a vehicle is used by multiple people, such configurations and functions of the vehicle generally are not associated with the individual, but instead with the vehicle, and therefore must either be set anew by each user or are equally available to all users.
In this context, centralized management of motor vehicle software applications and services is known from U.S. Pat. No. 8,050,817 B2. For example, a network device can store a mapping of application operation modes to vehicle conditions, such as a first condition of the vehicle in which it is not moving, and a second condition of the vehicle in which it is moving. The network device receives a wirelessly transmitted request for a specific application to support an interface of the vehicle. The network device compares an application identifier, which is specified by the request, to the mapping. The network device identifies a portion of the vehicle interface according to the comparison and signals control software on the vehicle to allow the specific application access to only the identified portion of the vehicle interface. The application can reside on a mobile device and utilize the vehicle interface as an extended interface, or the application can reside on the vehicle. In consequence, vehicles can be manufactured without applications installed on the vehicle, and the applications can instead be downloaded to the vehicles when the drivers are present in the vehicles. The types of applications that are downloaded to the vehicles are managed through preferences that are defined in a network server and provided by the drivers.
DE 10 2009037234 A1 relates to a method for at least unidirectional transmission of data between a data processing device located outside of a vehicle and one vehicle at a time from a fleet of motor vehicles. In order to enable an exchange of data between a personal computer and any desired motor vehicles from a fleet of motor vehicles, a central server is utilized upon which user accounts are maintained, and the personal computer can access these user accounts. A vehicle identification number is stored in the user account. Then a portable device is coupled with a first motor vehicle and functions in essence as identification for the user. A password may be requested from the user a single time. The first connection has the result that the portable device is defined as identification even when it is later connected to other motor vehicles. Connecting the portable device to any desired motor vehicle then has the effect of allowing an exchange of data between the server and the motor vehicle in question.
DE 10001130 B4, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,717, concerns a method for modifying information that is used by a machine controller of a vehicle for a machine remote from a central location and that includes data or application software used by the machine controller to control operation of the machine. In this method, the World Wide Web is accessed from a central location and modification information is stored in digital intermediate file storage. The file storage is located remotely from both the central location and the remote machine. The remote machine accesses the World Wide Web at a point in time that is independent of the access by the central location. The remote machine downloads the modification information from the file storage via the World Wide Web and modifies information that is used by the machine controller in accordance with the modification information. In this way, either specific data can be downloaded to modify the performance of the controlled machine, or entirely new or modified application software can be downloaded directly to the machine controller.
DE 10331874A1, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 8,060,873, concerns a method for remote programming of a program-controlled device. In the method, program data are remotely transmitted from a control point to an interface and are temporarily stored in a buffer memory there. Subsequently, authorization is transmitted from the control point to the interface and from there to the device. The device verifies the authorization, and in the event of a positive result retrieves the program data from the buffer memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,055,403 B2 concerns a vehicle telematics system with a controller in connection with a diagnostic system configured to receive diagnostic information from a vehicle. The telematics device also includes a position-locating system for determining location information of the vehicle, a wireless transmitter/receiver device configured to transmit information through a wireless network to and from at least one website accessible over the Internet, and a communication interface that has a short range wireless interface link. The telematics device can be configured as an access device that has the position-locating system. The access device can be a smartphone or similar device that transmits diagnostic information and other information to and from the vehicle over the short range wireless link. The access device performs various telematics device functions. It uses a long range wireless interface to transmit diagnostic data to a central computer.